An American Haunting is a lame exercise in horror. It uses a supposed "Based on actual events" heading to rope in the audience, but a certain kind of silliness ensues that renders what might have been scary, pretty much ridiculous..

The bulk of An American Haunting takes place in the early 1800's and features Donald Sutherland as John Bell, a man whose family becomes the victim of a curse - ostensibly at the hands of a witch who feels she's been wronged in a dispute over land ownership. Shortly thereafter, John's young daughter Betsy, is repeatedly abused by what appears to be an angry poltergeist. The House of Sand and Fog meets Captain Howdy.

An American Haunting offers up a few creepy moments, but for most part, the scares are comprised of quick cuts and obnoxiously loud musical cues. Usually, quick cuts and obnoxiously loud musical cues are a sign of unskilled film making. Director Courtney Solomon appears to have had such a tough time affecting the audience through tone and dialogue that he's resorted to the weakest tricks in the book to get a rise out of the audience. All I got out of the deal was a big headache.

Adding insult to injury, An American Haunting features a couple of veterans in lead roles. Donald Sutherland is so good, but his greatness is completely overshadowed by weak material. Likewise, Sissy Spacek (no stranger to the supernatural - she did play "Carrie" after all) tries her hardest to breathe life into this sham of a horror film. Young Rachel Hurd-Wood (not to be confused with the amazing Evan Rachel Wood) does an admirable job, but even she can't overcome the meandering screenplay.

Courtney Solomon is clearly a fan of the genre as he heavily borrows from The Exorcist, The Omen, Poltergeist, and Evil Dead 2 (the evil spirit P.O.V. shots early on in the film, are a weak ass homage to Sam Raimi's cult classic). He even borrows from the little seen Barbara Hershey thriller The Entity. Sadly, he can't muster up an iota of those pictures' style. I don't know what I was expecting. This is, after all, the man who directed "Dungeons and Dragons".

An American Haunting isn't a total waste. There are a few effective moments. When the entity first makes contact with young Betsy (by way of slowly pulling the blanket from her bed), I was momentarily creeped out. Unfortunately, the effect is all but ruined when the maniacal vapor bitchslaps the helpless victim - evoking full blown belly laughter at the screening I attended. This was made all the more amusing, considering that there were only around eight people in the theater. Getting back to what faint praise I have to offer this movie, I also really dug the costume design and art direction, both of which appear to be authentic to the time period. Finally, the film's best moment comes during a sequence in which the terrorized girl tries to make a getaway via a horse and carriage. The fate that awaits the carriage is an awesome cinematic moment to behold, but the sequences that precede and follow it, are irrelevant.

In fact, the film as a whole is incredibly disjointed. What's more, the screenplay is a train wreck. The set-up is silly beyond belief. The scene in which the supposed witch puts the curse on the Bell family, is downright laughable. It makes it incredibly difficult to buy into any of what follows. But then, the film makers pull an even sillier fast one. An American Haunting offers up an inevitable twist. An obvious, all too unnecessary twist that renders the film even more absurd. What's more, An American Haunting dares to offer up so-called smarts as a teacher debates with a man of faith over the happenings that befall the Bell family. Last year saw the release of the vastly superior Exorcism Emily Rose. While that picture wasn't perfect, it was far more subtle in it's approach. It was also more believable adding a palpable sense of dread to the proceedings. An American Haunting by comparison is so bogged down with unbelievably ridiculous moments, that it never really terrifies. And don't get me started on the lame, pointless present day scenes that bookend the entire picture. It's enough to insult any movie-goer's intelligence.

In all fairness, An American Haunting is a far cry from the worst the genre has had to offer. As a horror picture, I'd still give it the edge over that awful When a Stranger Calls remake, but Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek certainly deserved better.